Will the Electric Car Kill GM?

Most people on the planet cannot afford gasoline powered cars. Increasingly they can save $200 for an electric scooter. Over 30 million people drive electric vehicles.

Published: 03-Jan-2007

John Addison submits : A recent movie and several books asked the question
"Who killed the electric car?" then answered GM. Indeed, the major auto makers
successfully defeated California's attempt to mandate that 10% of car sales be
electric vehicles [EV]. GM retrieved the EV1 at the end of their lease periods
and crushed almost all. Yet, GM and other auto makers have continued to pour
billions into electric motors, advanced batteries, hybrid-electric propulsion,
and electric vehicles where hydrogen fuel cells supply electricity to electric
motors.

The more relevant question is this, "Will electric vehicles kill General
Motors?" Most people on the planet cannot afford gasoline powered cars.
Increasingly they can save $200 for an electric scooter. Over 30 million people
drive electric vehicles. Jonathan Weinert reports on the exploding popularity of
e-bikes in China.

As incomes increase, early adopters in China, India and other emerging
nations will upgrade to new generations of light electric vehicles [LEV]. Most
of these vehicles will have 3 or 4 wheels and carry increasing numbers of
passengers and loads.

Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi test drove the Eliica pictured below and dubbed the eight-wheel electric car developed by a group of researchers at Keio University an energy revolution. The car has a top speed of 370 km/h and a range of 300 kilometers.

Think Nordic has been struggling for survival since the Ford Motor Co literally pulled the plug on it in 2002. Photo of prototype A306 Cabriolet model which briefly toured parts of Canada. Photo courtesy of EVCO.CA.

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